00:02The 26th of January holds different meaning to different people.
00:06It's Australia Day. It's a day that we actually were recognised as Australian citizens.
00:12It's a divisive day for many people in the town and in the region and I think that we could
00:18do better and we could change it to another day that everyone can support and everyone can get behind.
00:23In January this year the new Mayor of Alice Springs made clear she wanted to move citizenship and award ceremonies
00:30to another date.
00:32Yesterday explaining to Council why she believes a change is necessary.
00:37What it does, it decouples two contrasting events.
00:40The anniversary of invasion and colonisation and dispossession and killing and suffering and the celebration of our vibrant and diverse
00:48community as it welcomes our new citizens.
00:51The first objection came from Councillor and former Mayor Damien Ryan.
00:55I find your motion is disingenuous to the community as a whole.
00:59In the end the votes fell five to four in favour of moving the date leading to mixed reactions on
01:05the streets today.
01:06Leave it alone. It's been there for a long time and I know a lot of Aboriginal people who I
01:12again work with who don't care.
01:15We can't see the rhyme or reason in changing. She had a valid, sort of valid case, it'd be alright.
01:23Just probably encourage all those people out there that are following this conversation and debate is to recognise it's not
01:30going to change our country for the worse.
01:34In 2022, the federal government changed the law to allow councils to hold citizenship commemorations three days either side of
01:43January 26th.
01:44Since then, more than 80 councils have chosen that option. Alice Springs, just the latest.
01:50...
01:51...
01:53You
